Italian Pork And Tomato Stew With White Beans

ITALIAN PORK AND TOMATO STEW 

WITH WHITE BEANS

Serves 4 to 6.
2 pounds boneless pork shoulder or butt
1/2 pound Crimini  mushrooms, cut in half
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-28 ounce can ready-cut Italian-style tomatoes, undrained
1 cup dry red wine, such as Chianti or Merlot
2 ounces (1/2 cup) smoked ham, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried crumbled rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried crumbled oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried crumbled thyme
2-14 1/2 ounce cans white beans, rinsed and drained
    (S and W brand small white beans)
 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

1. Trim pork of most fat and cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes. Place pork in a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat for about
5 minutes or until meat releases its juices. Uncover the pan and boil until juices are almost gone; then cook, stirring often, until drippings are dark brown, 10 minutes.

2. Add mushrooms, onions and garlic to the pork. Cook until onion is softened, stirring often, 4 to 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, wine, ham, rosemary, oregano and thyme. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until meat is tender when pierced, about 1 1/2 hours. Stir in the beans and heat through. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Chicken Marsala With Prosciutto And Mushrooms

Chicken Marsala With 

Proscuitto And Mushrooms

Serves 4.
Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless, chicken breasts 
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
4 oz. prosciutto, thinly sliced into strips
8 oz. crimini mushrooms, stemmed and halved 
1/2 cup dry Marsala wine
1/2 cup chicken stock or broth
2 T. unsalted butter
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley

Directions:
1. Trim chicken and pound between two sheets of plastic wrap to 1/4 inch thickness. Put some flour in a shallow bowl and season with a fair amount of salt and pepper; mix with a fork to distribute evenly.

2. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. When the oil is nice and hot, dredge both sides of the chicken cutlets in the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess. Slip the cutlets into the pan and cook for 2 minutes on each side until golden, turning once – do this in batches if the pieces don't fit comfortably in the pan. Remove the chicken to a large platter in a single layer and keep warm.

3. Lower the heat under the skillet to medium and add the prosciutto to the drippings in the pan, sauté for 1 minute to render out some of the fat. Now, add the mushrooms and sauté until they are nicely browned and their moisture has evaporated, about 5 minutes; season with salt and pepper.

4. Pour the Marsala in the pan and boil down for a few seconds to cook out the alcohol. Add the chicken stock and simmer for a minute to reduce the sauce slightly. Return the chicken to the pan and simmer, covered, for 5 to 6 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. 

5. Remove chicken to serving plates and bring sauce to a simmer. Cook down the sauce, if necessary and then remove from heat; stir in the butter until melted and season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over chicken and and garnish with chopped parsley.